10 camping hacks you never knew you needed

07th August 17

With the summer holidays in full swing, many of us will be taking some time out to enjoy the great outdoors. And although camping is about experiencing the simple life, there’s no reason why you can’t take advantage of a few clever hacks to make the trip a little easier. We’ve rounded up 10 of the best tips you never knew you needed…

Keep ants off the table

Put each table leg in a small tray of water. Ants won’t be able to navigate the water, leaving you to enjoy your picnic without the pesky little critters.

All you need is tinfoil

You can cook or heat almost anything on a fire as long as it’s wrapped in tinfoil. Spuds, fish, vegetables, popcorn, baked beans – bung your food in some foil and put it in the middle of the fire to cook – and no washing up needed!

Find more uses for duct tape

Whether you need to patch up a hole in your tent, add some cushioning to your shoe to alleviate the pain of a blister or create a makeshift sling, duct tape will be your best friend.

You can never have too much toilet paper

Make space for more toilet paper by removing the cardboard middle and squashing the roll down – you’ll be able to take more with you so you won’t be caught short again!

Raid your little one’s toy box

If you need a little more coverage than a what a roll mat provides, there might be a brilliant solution hiding in the toy box. Those big, foam jigsaw puzzle pieces are the perfect surface to lay your sleeping bag on and can cover the whole tent floor in no time.

Pack the sage

Sage doesn’t just have its uses in the kitchen. The scent wafting through the air will help ward off mosquitos. Simply toss some sage leaves onto your campfire to get the aroma going.

Warm up

Mornings on the campsite are chilly. Before you go to bed, pop tomorrow’ clothes into the bottom of your sleeping bag and they’ll be nice and toasty for the morning.

Save space

Pack your things into lots of smaller plastic bags within your main bag to keep things organised, separated and easy to find. You’ll be glad you did it at the end of a long day travelling and setting up camp.

Take the higher ground

Although the cosy nook at the foot of the hill looks tempting and sheltered from the wind, beware if there’s rain forecast – you could wake up surrounded by soggy ground, or worse, a small pond!

Don’t forget the earplugs

Sure, you’ve escaped to the country to get away from it all but nature can be surprisingly noisy. Cheery birdsong is wonderful when you’re enjoying an afternoon walk, but it’s a different story at 5am.